The present invention broadly concerns the interconnection of a trailer to a tractor vehicle for towing. More particularly, however, the present invention concerns hitch ball engaging assembly. This assembly is useable as an improvement to a tractor/trailer combination wherein the tractor vehicle is provided with a bed mounted hitch ball of a gooseneck type coupling and for in the trailer vehicle is provided with a fifth wheel type pin connector. The invention then concerns an adapter apparatus that is operative to releaseably interconnect these two different types of couplings.
For many years, recreational traveling has enjoyed popularity among a wide spectrum of the population. Despite the availability of overnight accommodations at hotels, motels and the like, many travelers seek alternative accommodations either as a life-style preference or as a money saving measure. Also, convenient hotel/motel lodgings are not also available at target recreation sights so that alternative accommodations must be made. Here, many travelers prefer to use their own accommodations which are transported with them.
While the simplest form of portable accommodations may be the tent, many travelers find tents to be inconvenient or uncomfortable. Accordingly, many travelers opt for other portable accommodations such as tent trailers, recreational vehicles and travel trailers known as xe2x80x9cfifth wheel travel trailersxe2x80x9d.
As is known, a fifth-wheel travel trailer is, essentially, a small, self-contained home which may be towed to a desired location by any suitable tractor vehicle. For example, a pickup truck. In the fifth-wheel coupling system, the forward portion of the trailer is provided with a downwardly depending hitch box and a downwardly projecting king pin, also referred to as a xe2x80x9cpin connectorxe2x80x9d. This king pin is sized and adapted to mate with a standard fifth-wheel hitch which is mounted on the tractor vehicle. The fifth-wheel hitch is in the form of a large slotted plate that is suitably secured to a support structure on the bed of the tractor vehicle. The pin connector is received in a slot in the plate, and a latch mechanism releaseably retains the pin connector in the engaged state. The slotted plate is sufficiently elevated above the bed of the tractor vehicle so as to match the height of the pin connector above the ground during a normal towing operation. Accordingly, the tractor vehicle supports the trailer so that it""s forward end is elevated above the surface of travel, such as a roadway, although the rear portion of the vehicle is supported on a wheel set so that it may travel over the surface.
Aside from the fifth-wheel hitch assembly, another commonly used hitch assembly for coupling a tractor vehicle to a trailer vehicle is known as the xe2x80x9cgooseneck couplingxe2x80x9d. IN the gooseneck system, a hitch ball is mounted on or proximately to the bed of the tractor vehicle. The trailer vehicle is provided with an elongated, downwardly depending connector having a socket end that may be dropped onto and secured to the hitch ball of the trailer vehicle. Gooseneck coupling systems are typical used for industrial and farming applications, for example, horse trailers and the like.
Where a hauler employs a tractor vehicle that is provided with a hitch ball for a gooseneck coupling system, he/she cannot normally employ such tractor vehicle with a trailer having the pin connector of the fifth wheel coupling system. In past, it has been known to provide a fifth wheel adapter assembly that mounts onto the hitch ball of the tractor vehicle. Here, a pivoting, slotted plate assembly is mounted on the hitch ball and provides the slotted plate that receives the pin connector of the fifth wheel coupling on the trailer vehicle. This fifth wheel adapter assembly, however, is mounted onto and stays attached to the tractor vehicle during use.
Accordingly, while there has been a recognized need for systems which allow a tractor vehicle to selectively tow a fifth wheel trailer or a gooseneck trailer, the problem has been addressed by complicated systems that allow the mounting of a fifth wheel hitch onto the tractor vehicle. The systems are complicated and expensive for the user. Thus there remains a need for a simplified adapter that can interface fifth wheel trailers with tractor vehicles provided with a gooseneck hitch ball. The present invention addresses this need.
It is an object of the present invention to provide and new and useful hitch ball engaging assembly.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an adapter apparatus using the hitch ball engaging assembly to interconnect a pin connector of a fifth wheel type tractor/trailer coupling and a hitch ball of a gooseneck type tractor/trailer coupling.
Yet another object of the present invention is provide an adapter apparatus and method that simplifies the attachment of a trailer having a fifth wheel type pin connector to the hitch ball of a gooseneck type connector on a tractor vehicle.
Still a further object of the present invention is to provide an inexpensive adapter that is an improvement to a tractor/trailer combination allowing the bed-mounted hitch ball of a gooseneck type coupling on a tractor vehicle to be connected to the fifth wheel type pin connector of a trailer vehicle.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide such an adapter that is easy to manufacture and use.
Still a further object of the present invention is to provide a method for interconnecting a pin connector of a fifth wheel type tractor/trailer coupling and a hitch ball of a gooseneck type tractor/trailer coupling.
According to the present invention, then, an adapter apparatus is provided that is operative to interconnect a pin connector of a fifth wheel type tractor/trailer coupling and hitch ball of a gooseneck type tractor/trailer coupling. Broadly, the adapter apparatus includes an extension member that has a first end portion and a second end portion opposite the first end portion. A pin connector engaging assembly is disposed on the first end portion of the extension member. This pin connector engaging assembly is sized and adapted to mateably receive a pin connector of a fifth wheel type tractor/trailer coupling. At least one attachment element is associated with the pin connector engaging assembly and is adapted to releaseably engage the pin connector of the fifth wheel type tractor/trailer coupling thereby to prevent removal of the pin connector when in a secured state. A hitch ball engaging assembly is disposed on the second end portion of the extension member. The hitch ball engaging assembly is sized and adapted to matably receive a hitch ball of a gooseneck type tractor/trailer coupling. The hitch ball engaging assembly includes at least one locking element associated therewith that is moveable between a locked stated and an unlocked state. When the locking element is in the locked state, it is operative to lock the hitch ball in the hitch ball engaging assembly thereby to prevent removal thereof. When the locking element is in the unlocked state, it is operative to permit insertion and removal of the hitch ball into and out of the hitch ball engaging assembly.
The extension member may be formed as an elongated shaft, such as an elongated tubular piece that in the disclosed embodiment is cylindrical in shape. Thus, the extension member has a first end portion with a surrounding first sidewall with a first interior sized and adapted to matably receive the pin connector of the fifth wheel type tractor/trailer coupling. Likewise, the second end portion then includes a surrounding second sidewall having a second interior adapted to matably receive the hitch ball of the gooseneck type tractor/trailer coupling. This second sidewall has at least one hole formed there through with the hole diameter. The hitch ball engaging assembly then includes at least one spherical ball that is disposed in the hole and that has a larger diameter than the hole. The spherical ball moves between a locked state that prevents removal of the hitch ball that is received in the second end portion and an unlocked state that permits insertion removal of the hitch ball into and out of the second end portion. A rotatable locking collar is provided that moves between first and second position. In the first position, the locking collar is operative to move the spherical ball into the locked state. In the second position, the locking collar is operative to permit the spherical ball to move into the unlocked state.
In more detail, the second end portion has a plurality of holes formed therein and the hitch ball engaging assembly includes a plurality of spherical balls respectively disposed in each hole. These holes and the balls are equiangularly spaced around the extension member. The locking collar has a plurality of recesses that are each operative to receive a respective one of the spherical balls in the unlocked state when the locking collar is in the second position. The locking collar also includes a plurality of cam faces with each cam face being operative to place a respective one of the spherical balls in a locked state when the locking collar is in the first position.
The hitch ball engaging assembly can include a latch that is operative to selectively retain the locking collar in a selected one of the first and second positions. An actuator member may be adapted to move the locking collar between the first and second position. To this end, and in greater detail, a base plate may be secured to the second end of the extension member and a retaining ring may be secured to the second end portion of the extension member and spaced relation to the base plate. The locking collar is rotatably disposed between the retaining ring and the base plate. The base plate may include a flange with a slot formed therein. The actuator then is formed as an elongated rod that is affixed to and projects radially outwardly from the locking collar with a distal end portion of the rod being received in the slot. The slot and the flange can have first and second detents sections corresponding to the first and second positions of the locking collar. The detent sections are operative to selectively retain the rod thereby to retain the locking collar in the selected one of the first and second positions.
The attachment elements for the pin connector engaging assembly can be, for example, set screws or bolts that fasten the extension tube directly to the pin connector. Alternative structure includes an adapter collar that fastens to the pin connector and a head piece that fastens to the adapter collar. The extension member is then telescopically received by the head piece.
The present invention is accordingly directed to a tractor/trailer combination when a tractor vehicle is provided with a bed-mounted hitch ball adapted for connection to a gooseneck type coupling and wherein a trailer vehicle is provided with a fifth wheel type pin connector. An improvement in the form of an adapter apparatus is described above permits the interconnection between the tractor/trailer vehicles. Here, again, the adapter includes an extension member having a first end portion with a pin connector engaging assembly sized and adapted to matably receive the pin connector and a second end portion sized and adapted to matably receive the hitch ball. At least one attachment element is associated with the pin connector engaging assembly to secure the pin connector while at least one locking element is associated with the hitch ball engaging assembly to move between a locked state and an unlocked state to secure the hitch ball. The improvement can include any of the features noted above with respect to the more detailed structure.
In addition to the apparatus described above, the present invention contemplates a method of interconnecting a pin connector of the fifth wheel type tractor/trailer coupling and a hitch ball of a gooseneck type tractor/trailer coupling. This method includes engaging the pin connector of the fifth wheel type tractor/trailer coupling with a first end portion of a rigid, elongated tubular member. The pin connector is releaseably secured to the first end portion. The method includes the engaging of the hitch ball with a second end portion of the elongated tubular member and releaseably securing the hitch ball to the second end portion.
In the method, the step of engaging the pin connector may be accomplished by matably receiving the pin connector in an interior of the first end portion of the tubular member. The step of engaging the hitch ball may be accomplished by matably receiving the hitch ball in the interior of the second end portion of the tubular member. The step of securing the hitch ball to the second end portion can be accomplished by providing a locking element on the second end portion that is movable between a locked state that is operative to lock the mated hitch ball thereby to prevent removal thereof in an unlocked state operative to permit insertion and removal of the hitch ball. The method can also include the step of selectively retaining the locking element in the locked state and in the unlocked state.
These and other objects of the present invention will become more readily appreciated and understood from a consideration of the following detailed description of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention when taken together with the accompanying drawings, in which: